Krista writes about her continuing battle with GBM with clarity and humor. Update: Krista passed away two days before her five-year survival anniversary. Her husband, Jared, is still maintaining her blog.

Read Sadie’s story

Who was Sadie?

Sadie was our daughter. At 15 she was diagnosed with a very malignant brain tumor. Despite radiation and chemotherapy the tumor continued to grow, and she passed away 13 months later.

Was Sadie her real name?

No. To protect our privacy, we've left out almost all personal information about our family and Sadie's life outside of her cancer.

What kind of tumor did Sadie have?

We aren't sure. Her MRIs suggested glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), but her biopsy was inconclusive. After a second and third opinion, her medical team concluded that she had either GBM or a supratentorial PNET. The biopsy seemed to favor PNET, and that's what they treated her for. Her post-treatment MRIs, and her ultimate outcome, seemed to indicate it was GBM after all.

Update: new research since Sadie's death has defined a "GBM with PNET-like components" variant.

Why this website?

During Sadie's illness we scoured the Internet searching for information about brain tumors, treatments, and, once she was terminal, other people's final days. All the personal stories we found were very comforting to us: not because they offered us hope, but because they helped us understand what Sadie was going through. This site is our way of contributing to others walking this frightening path. We hope Sadie's site helps make the journey a little less lonely.

This website is intended purely as a source of anecdotal information. We are not providing medical or any other kindof advice. We are not responsible for anything that happens to you or your family as a result of reading this website.(There: that should cover our back ends.)